TITLE Boxing Club will beat you into shape -- the gloves are off!

Countless workouts and diets promise results -- and generally, the success of any regimen is up to you. But the town's first TITLE Boxing Club, which opens in Greenwood Village this week, promises to help you break out of the box -- with boxing. There are 47 other TITLE clubs across the country; the owner of this one, Shawn Kirkpatrick, hopes to open four to six more clubs in the Denver area in the next few years. But first, he's kicking off this club with free classes Thursday, August 9 through Sunday, August 12; he's also waiving the $99 membership enrollment fee for the first 100 members who join.

In advance of Colorado's first TITLE Boxing Club opening this Thursday, Westword spoke with Kirkpatrick about this new fitness craze punching its way into Denver.

Shawn Kirkpatrick: At most of the "traditional" gyms, once you purchase your membership you are presented with your choice of shiny pieces of cardio and weightlifting equipment, which is great. But unfortunately, it often stops there. You're on your own to figure out what to use, how to use it and what order to use it in to best fit your fitness goals. Many of us find this daunting, especially when we have to wait in line to use our favorite equipment. Or we find ourselves just jumping on a treadmill or elliptical and trying to distract ourselves so that we're not counting the minutes, or seconds, until our workout is over.

At TITLE Boxing Club we feature our Power Hour Boxing and Kickboxing classes. These are instructor-led classes where you can burn up to 1,000 calories. Members train like a pro fighter and perform boxing and kickboxing combinations on one of our 61 bags that weigh 100 pounds. During a class, our members enjoy a cardio workout that is both more fun and more effective than a session on the treadmill. They are also improving muscle tone because the heavy-bag work provides the same kind of resistance training that lifting weights does; your body can't tell the difference. As an added bonus, it is a very fun and positive way to relieve the physical and mental stress that arises daily in balancing our family, professional and social lives.

TITLE Boxing Club is a no-hassle club that gives you the experience of working out with a personal trainer in a group setting. Members are in and out in an hour, experiencing a total body workout that rejuvenates and energizes.

What specific practices does it follow?

While training is based on boxing and kickboxing, our members engage in a true, full mind-body workout. When you focus on hitting the bag and breathing with such a great cardio workout, you have no time to even consider other thoughts, so you leave with your mind clear and free, with all the mental anguish built throughout the day released. Try doing eight, three-minute rounds in a boxing workout; you will be so fatigued you can't dwell on life stresses.

TITLE Boxing Club also has a "fitness over fighting" motto. This is first and foremost a fitness club, and no real fighting is allowed inside the clubs. The classes here are meant to challenge each individual at every fitness level to the best of his or her ability to obtain optimum workout results, not for fighters to battle each other.

What benefits does it provide compared to "traditional" workouts?

Our classes can be intense, which improves our members' overall cardio-vascular health. Burning up to 1,000 calories per class helps our members quickly melt fat away, which helps them look and feel better about themselves. Our workouts are also a great stress-reliever, which greatly enhances mental health and improves overall efficiency.

The TITLE Boxing Club workout leaves members feeling empowered, changing them not only physically but emotionally. The workout tends to boost confidence and energy in the gym, at home and at work. As members progress, they get better and better at the technique and timing, increasing endurance and skill as the trainers encourage and motivate. People who work out at TITLE develop a certain swagger and energy.

Take out your frustration on a bag.

How are new members incorporated?

Our trainers are made aware of the newest members before each class begins. They give new members special attention and instruction to ensure that they quickly develop proper boxing and/or kickboxing fundamentals and sound form, such as stance, generating power from the legs and properly rotating the body before contact is made with the heavy bag. This all helps to reduce the risk of injury.

What does your membership demographic look like?

It surprises most people to learn that about 70 percent of our members are women. Most of our female members are between 25 and 55. They enjoy an active lifestyle and are looking to get fit and lose weight.

Why do you think it especially appeals to women?

Our workouts are great for building self-confidence, especially among women, and we offer a personal training session which motivates members. Beside the fact that it is a highly effective workout after which you will look and feel better about yourself, the feeling you get when learning the proper way to throw a punch is very empowering. Also, we provide a very friendly, clean, safe and exciting environment to take out the frustrations of the day while doing something very beneficial for your mind and body.

How did you get involved?

Most recently I came from the corporate world at a large mining services company. After a few years I realized the life wasn't as glamorous as I had imagined and wouldn't get better as I moved up the corporate ladder. I decided it was time to make a change and move into a business ownership where I could develop the kind of environment I'd be happy to go to day in and day out.

I looked into different franchise models and narrowed my search with a consultant. I found TITLE Boxing Club and it quickly moved to the top of the list. The more I learned about them, the more excited I got. I love being able to provide a service that really helps make people happy. Everyone I met and talked to was very passionate about it, from members to club owners up through the entire corporate team. It was just a great fit and I'm still getting more and more excited about being part of TITLE Boxing Club as I get closer to opening the first club in Colorado.